Photo and Video Chronology - Kīlauea - April 18, 2018

Ongoing changes at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, with continued breakouts near the ven...

A brief break in the rain allowed for some clear views of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō on Kīlauea Volcano's East Rift Zone. Since mid-March, Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō tiltmeters have been recording inflation, and uplift of the crater floor is visible in HVO webcams. The lava pond within the west pit (foreground) has also risen several meters (yards) and has overflowed onto the floor of the west pit numerous times.

An HVO geologist observes the perched lava pond within the west pit of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.

Surface flows on the 61g flow field remain active. Most breakouts are within 2 km (1.2 miles) of the 61g vent on the flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, but a few small surface flows are active on the upper flow field (above the pali) roughly 6 km (3.7 miles) from the vent.

This time-lapse image sequence taken by a time-lapse camera on the rim of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō's west pit, spans March 20 to April 18. The sequence, of approximately one image per day, shows the growth of the lava pond within the west pit as it developed into a perched lava pond. This sequence is looped 4 times.